


The Old Ball and Chain

by MechBull



Category: As the World Turns
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-15
Updated: 2020-10-15
Packaged: 2021-03-08 17:05:50
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,924
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27030148
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MechBull/pseuds/MechBull
Summary: Lily, Luke and Reid have to clear Holden in Damian's "death."  (Prompt from smoothlikebutta)
Relationships: Reid Oliver/Luke Snyder
Comments: 14
Kudos: 4





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Originally posted to LiveJournal May 16, 2011
> 
> Extra special thanks to broadlicnic for the beta!

Luke ran his fingers lightly over the wallpaper as he walked down the hall. With his background, he was used to staying in or visiting nice houses and hotels. This place knocked them all out of the water, and he was kind of concerned he might accidentally wreck some priceless artifact at some point while they were there. That wasn’t his main concern, of course, but it was a niggling one that refused to go away.

He sighed as he tried not to think of his larger problems. This week had gone from weird to downright unbelievable, especially once Reid became involved. Luke, of course, was grateful for that involvement, but the odd circumstances made for a very confusing last few days. Most confusing of all, perhaps, was how Luke had begun to feel around – Noah’s neurosurgeon. That was all he was. A doctor that could provide experience and knowledge, it turned out, for more than one problem Luke needed help with, but that was it. And no matter how much Luke’s appreciation for his help may have prompted the bizarre softening of feelings towards him, Reid had made it pretty clear that the change of heart was completely one-sided. That was probably for the best, though. Luke didn’t need any more complications in his life, and if maintaining a professional, distant, occasionally antagonistic relationship meant that Noah would get his eyesight back sooner, so be it.

Luke turned the corner and stopped abruptly at the sight in front of him. He suddenly felt as if he may puke, and he realized with a sudden bolt of clarity that all his justifications and mental ramblings had accomplished nothing. Had not even come close to a reasonable explanation for his feelings. Because his feelings were – they were –

He watched as his mother leaned against Reid’s chest, one hand wrapped around the crook of his arm. She nuzzled her face into his neck, and Reid himself looked down at her with a small smile playing at his lips. His hand rested on the skin of her lower back exposed through her dress; his fingers splayed even lower and moved in small caresses.

Luke tried to convince himself that this was just the usual shock and disgust he felt whenever he saw one of his parents in – an embrace, an occurrence which happened far too often for Luke’s taste. But he knew it wasn’t. The fact that it was his mother barely even registered. It was seeing Reid physically affectionate with someone. Someone _else_ , the tiny voice in his brain added. Someone who _wasn’t him_.

“Young love,” an accented voice next to him said, and Luke turned to his Grimaldi cousin. He smiled weakly and swallowed down the taste of bile. “Your mother happy is some comfort in this horrible time, I’m sure.”

Luke cleared his throat. “It’s good for her,” he nearly whispered.

The older man nodded and stepped away. Luke turned to focus once more on his mother and Reid. Reid chuckled softly at something his mother said, and the throaty, almost _dirty_ sound floated over to Luke. He closed his eyes and exhaled slowly. When he opened them again, they locked with Reid’s eyes. Luke couldn’t look away, and they stared at each other for a few brief moments. The heat and desire in Reid’s gaze – it wasn’t real; Luke knew it wasn’t real, or for him – was unexpectedly overwhelming. Luke had trouble breathing, and he felt his cock throb, suddenly hard. He flushed from the lust and shame, and he turned away, heading back down the hallway towards his bedroom quickly.

_Forty-Eight Hours Earlier_

Reid had trouble coming up with suitably snarky comments for Luke. The sight of him on his knees in front of Reid – and the naughty-hot thoughts that sparked – was too distracting. He finally just bent down himself and grabbed some of the papers. As he stood again, he was momentarily confused when he saw the picture in his hand.

“Interesting hobby.”

“What?”

“Looking at photos of dead people. You know, I prefer chess myself, but to each his own,” Reid teased, barely holding back his smile.

Luke’s voice was chilly when he responded. “For your information, that’s a photo of my father. Damian Grimaldi.”

“Ouch.” Reid paused, then looked back at the picture. “How’d this happen?”

“That’s why I’m looking for Dr. Hughes. I was hoping he could take a look at these photos and tell me exactly how Damian died.”

“Looks like he suffered a blow to the head. May I see the others?”

“Why?”

“Maybe I could solve this mystery myself.”

Luke laughed shortly. “No. Thanks. I think I’ll wait for Dr. Hughes.”

Reid dropped his humor. “Mr. Snyder, you’re being offered the expertise of one of the top neurosurgeons in the world and you’re gonna turn it down. Just how stupid are you?”

Luke inhaled, backing away slightly. He flashed Reid a frustrated look as he handed over the rest of the pictures. Reid stepped away, flipping through them and examining each one in turn.

“Hmm,” he murmured. “Must have been pretty tough dealing with your father’s condition.”

“What do you mean? What condition?”

“Huntington’s,” Reid replied, as if speaking to a child. He turned back to the pictures. “Advanced stages of it too, from what I can see here. He must not have been able to walk anymore. Or talk.”

Luke shook his head. “That’s impossible. Damian was in perfect health when he died!”

“You sure?”

“Of course I am!”

Reid handed the pictures back. “If your father didn’t have advanced Huntington’s, then the poor bastard in these photos wasn’t your father.”

Luke, clearly shocked and still confused, opened his mouth to respond.

“Luke! _Luke!_ ”

Both Luke and Reid looked to the side as a woman rushed up to them. Based on the similar appearances (not to mention the similar ability for overly emotional displays), Reid guessed this was Luke’s mother.

“They’ve taken him.”

“What?”

“They’ve extradited your father. There was nothing Tom could do. He’s already on a plane.”

“I – ”

Luke looked stricken, and Reid tried to ignore the concern he suddenly felt. He quashed it and, when he couldn’t think of anything to say, simply turned sharply on one foot and began to walk away.

“Dr. Oliver. Dr. Oliver, wait!”

Reid considered pretending he didn’t hear him, but he doubted Luke would buy that. So he turned, an innocently inquisitive eyebrow raised. Luke stepped closer as he opened and closed his mouth, struggling with his next statement.

“Can you – can you please – ?”

“What?”

Luke looked over his shoulder at his mother, then back at Reid. “Please, will you tell the judge what you saw in those pictures?”

Reid stared at him. He tapped his fingers quickly against the side of his thigh. Then he pointed out, “The judge no longer has jurisdiction, I’m sure.”

“Then…the authorities in Malta. We can take the plane and – ”

Reid laughed once, sharply. “No.”

He began to walk away again, and Luke ran after him, grabbing his arm and spinning him around. Reid stared pointedly at Luke’s hand gripping his upper arm until Luke released him.

“I may never see my father again,” Luke pointed out tersely.

“The dead one?”

Luke sighed, annoyed. “Obviously I have two different fathers.”

Reid looked around Luke and made an appraising face. “Well, no wonder with a hottie like that.”

Luke’s expression of confused disgust was priceless. Then he shook his head quickly and forced the file folder back into Reid's hand.

“Whatever. Look, you could save a man’s life here.”

“And how many will I lose?”

Luke narrowed his eyes. “What do you mean?”

Reid stared at him for one long beat. “You’ve dragged me away from sick, desperate patients to do your personal bidding once already, Mr. Snyder. You won’t do it again.”

Reid walked away again. This time, Luke didn’t follow him.

_Forty-Six Hours Earlier_

Reid stared at the reports on his desk. He was unable to concentrate on the patient records he was dictating, and he pressed pause on the tape recorder in his hand. He exhaled loudly, rolling his eyes and shaking his head at himself. He reached across his desk and picked up the file with the pictures of the supposedly dead Damian Grimaldi. He thought about his active cases and the immediate needs of his patients.

He thought about the distraught yet hopeful look on Luke’s face.

Reid groaned, pressing the heel of his palm into one eye before reaching out for his cell phone. When the person on the other end answered, he said one sentence only.

“I’ll give this 48 hours, including travel time.”

He hung up before Luke could respond.

_Forty-Four Hours Earlier_

“I don’t understand.”

Luke furrowed his brow at Noah’s upset, almost accusatory tone.

“Understand what?”

“You’re going to Malta? Now?”

“Yes. Noah, I have to.”

“It’s your dad. I know. But why does Dr. Oliver need to come with you?”

“Because he can tell the police that Damian isn’t the man in the pictures,” Luke explained. Again. He tried not to dwell on the thought that Noah seemed more upset about Dr. Oliver leaving than Luke himself leaving.

“Can’t he just – ”

“Noah,” Luke interrupted. He paused for a second, one hand in the air, as he tried to find a way to end the conversation. He had so much to do before they left, and he couldn’t spend much more time reassuring Noah. “It’s just going to be 48 hours. That’s all. We’ll be back before you know it.”

Noah sighed.

Luke smiled quickly, grimly. He thought about telling Noah he’d miss him, but in the end, he just said goodbye and walked out of the room.

_Forty-Two Hours Earlier_

Luke stared out the window next to his seat on the jet, his chin propped in one hand. He’d been sitting that way since they boarded, his thoughts a confusing mess. He, of course, was worried about his dad and wondering where Damian really was. He also had been thinking about the best way to get the information they might need to approach the authorities with. He’d been trying to care about Noah’s less-than-heartfelt goodbye or lack of any real concern about anything going on in Luke’s life. And he’d been struggling to ignore the body heat coming off the man sitting next to him.

Luke glanced away from the window and stretched, surreptitiously flicking his eyes over to the man in question. Dr. Oliver was reading a magazine, a serious expression on his face and his long legs stretched out in front of him. Just as Luke was about to look away again, Dr. Oliver tilted his head and reached one hand up to scratch at his now-taut neck. Luke involuntarily licked his lips, surprised at the jolt of arousal that shocked through him. But not too surprised. It had been happening more and more often around him, and Luke was hesitant to really explore what, if anything, that meant.

“We need to discuss how we’re going to do this,” Lily’s voice interrupted his thoughts.

Luke turned to face his mother, just as Dr. Oliver lowered his magazine and stared at her in slight confusion.

“I thought we’d go to the jail; I’d tell the cops – ”

Luke shook his head even as Lily interrupted him with a “No, we can’t.”

“Why not?” Dr. Oliver asked tersely.

“Because,” Luke explained with a sharp inhalation. “We don’t know who we can trust. We don’t know if Damian did this for any other reason than to get at my father; we don’t know if any of the other Grimaldis are in on it; and we don’t know which cops are on the payroll or being blackmailed or what.”

Dr. Oliver stared at him for a moment. “Are you serious? Am I in some sort of Godfather movie? Remember, you only have me for – ” Dr. Oliver looked at his watch quickly and was about to continue his protest when Lily interrupted him.

“Not to mention, we may not be taken seriously – the Grimaldis or the police may think we’re there simply to free Holden or to claim inheritance.”

Luke nodded. Dr. Oliver threw his hands up in the air in exasperation.

“I think,” Luke said slowly, “we should…infiltrate. Pretend we’re just there to pay our respects and see Dad brought to justice. Find out who knows what, who’s involved in what, and then when we’re a little clearer on the lay of the land, _then_ we go to the police.”

Lily nodded, a grim expression on her face. “I think that’s really the only thing we can do, if we don’t want to raise any suspicions.”

Dr. Oliver looked back and forth between them. After a moment, when neither had acknowledged him, he spoke up. “You realize the problem now, don’t you? And I can’t believe I’m actually talking about how best to fool a _mob family_.”

“What is it, Dr. Oliver?” Luke asked, sighing.

“They’re going to wonder who I am and why I’m there.”

Luke and his mother looked at each other, both at a loss. “Well...” Luke said.

“We’ll have to think of something,” Lily concluded.

_Thirty Hours Earlier_

But they hadn’t, and Luke was feeling a little nervous about that as they waited for someone at the Grimaldi estate to open the door. He was also feeling a little overwhelmed as he looked around the grounds. It had been a long time since he had been in Malta, and he didn’t remember any of this. Plus, he had hardly been there under pleasant circumstances. But now, as he looked around, it occurred to him once again just how rich his biological father’s side of the family was. Just how rich he’d be someday, if he accepted the _rest_ of his inheritance. He felt a little sick to his stomach.

The surreal and nauseous feelings just got worse as the butler answered the door and led them into a small parlor. The three of them looked around somewhat nervously as they waited for someone to show up. And then, a few minutes later, an older man and woman both dressed in black mourning clothes, walked into the room. The woman stretched her arms out and headed straight for Luke.

“Luciano!” she called out. The rest of her statement was a foreign jumble as she kissed both his cheeks about four times each. Finally she switched back to English. “I am your cousin, Maria; this is your cousin, Nico. Oh, look at you! I have not seen you since you were a baby, except for pictures.” She put a hand to his hair. “So much like your father.”

Luke nodded, smiling tightly. Thankfully, he could stop pretending as the woman turned her focus on his mother. The temperature in the room seemed to drop five degrees, at least, and his cousin bit out a “Lily” in greeting.

Lily nodded graciously, holding her hand out to shake both of theirs. Then she turned to Dr. Oliver, and Luke began to feel nervous again.

“This is Dr. Reid Oliver,” Lily began. After a moment, she added hesitantly, “He’s…”

There was a short, uncomfortable pause. And then Dr. Oliver inhaled quickly and blurted, “Her boyfriend.”

Luke’s eyes widened in shock.


	2. Chapter 2

_Twenty-Three Hours Earlier_

Reid cleared his throat awkwardly. He and Lily stood at the foot of the bed, their suitcases by their feet. He thought about Luke down the hall and how he’d much prefer to be dealing with this situation with him. He’d tease, and he’d feel uncomfortable, and he had a sneaking suspicion he’d revert to his high school self and babble all over the place, but in the end, he might have had the chance to share a bed with Luke. And he may find the guy obnoxious and annoying and entitled, but he wouldn’t turn down that opportunity. Noah’s the blind one, not him.

And, instead, he was stuck in a room with Luke’s mother.

“I’m sorry,” he said. The words felt unnatural and forced, but he felt they needed to be said. “It was the first thing I thought of.”

“No, no,” Lily waved her hand. “It works. It’s probably a good story, actually.”

Reid nodded, once. “So, I’ll just…” he trailed off as he walked a few steps forward and grabbed a pillow off the bed. Turning around, he spotted a really stiff, high-backed chair in the corner and headed for it.

“Don’t be ridiculous,” Lily said. “This bed is huge. I’m fine with sharing, if you are.”

Reid hesitated as he turned to stare at her, then at the bed. With a small shrug, he nodded.

_Thirteen Hours Earlier_

Luke sat in the dining room, his chin resting in his palm as he half-heartedly pushed fruit around on his plate. His mouth opened in a wide, somehow dejected yawn as he stared ahead blankly. He tried to convince himself he was worried about his dad or contemplating ways to figure out what Damian was up to and who all was involved. He even attempted to pretend he was simply worried about Noah back home.

All he could think about was that his mom and Rei – Dr. Oliver still hadn’t left their bedroom.

“Luciano,” Maria interrupted his thoughts and Luke looked up at her. “Are you all right?”

“Yeah,” Luke responded, sitting up straighter and clearing his throat. “Yeah, I’m just – I – ”

“Sad about your father?” she guessed, sitting down with a comforting expression on her face (was it fake?, Luke wondered).

Luke nodded, putting his inappropriate ( _jealous_ ) thoughts out of his head and leaning closer as he prepared to lure her into a conversation about Damian.

_Twelve Hours Earlier_

Luke walked quickly upstairs. He had talked to Maria about an hour – she either was an extraordinarily good actress or she truly believed that Damian was dead at Holden’s hand – and his mother and Dr. Oliver were still not downstairs yet. He wanted to fill them in on this latest development. At least, that’s why he told himself he was pounding on their bedroom door.

He waited for a moment, listening for the sounds of people moving inside. Just as he lifted his arm for another round of sharp knuckle raps, the door opened quickly. Rei – Dr. Oliver, wearing nothing but a pair of boxers, his hair completely mussed, stared at him angrily. Luke gulped; he couldn’t tear his eyes away from Dr. Oliver’s abdomen and the light trail of hair just starting to widen as it disappeared beneath the fabric of his underwear.

“ _What?_ ” Dr. Oliver said.

Luke forced himself to look up. He struggled for words, and then he finally just looked around Dr. Oliver. “Where’s my mom?”

“In the shower.”

Luke exhaled roughly. “Look, she’s very vulnerable right now, and I don’t think – ”

Dr. Oli – Reid grabbed his arm and pulled him quickly into the room. He closed the door and faced Luke, an annoyed expression on his face.

“Do you want to blow our cover?”

Luke didn’t answer. He was too busy staring at the tangled sheets on the bed. Clearly, two people had slept in it the night before. Luke’s stomach clenched as he wondered how much sleep actually took place.

Reid sighed loudly. “Look, nothing happened, OK? Nothing’s going to happen. It’s pretend.”

Luke exhaled. He turned to face Dr. – Reid again. “Good.”

Reid’s face was guarded, with just a hint of something Luke couldn’t identify slipping past the closed expression. Rather than focusing on that too much, he tried to loosen the tension in the room with a joke. “Wasn’t too keen on calling you Dad, Dr. Oliver.”

“How about Reid, Mr. Snyder? At least while we’re here.”

“Luke.”

“Luke.”

And at that, Luke relaxed slightly. At least he could stop struggling with what to call him in his head. It didn’t ease the confusion over how he felt about him though. If anything, hearing his first name from Reid’s lips only made the confusion worse. And he didn’t want to look too closely at how relieved he felt that Reid made it clear he wasn’t going to take advantage of his mother.

“Oh, Luke,” his mother broke the thick silence in the room when she came out of the bathroom. Luke suddenly realized how close he was standing to Reid and he stepped away, heading over to his mother as she added, “Good morning.”

“How are you?” he asked. “Sleep well?”

“Yes, fine. Is everything OK?”

Luke glanced at Reid. “Everything’s fine. I just talked to Maria. I’m pretty sure she’s not involved. She seems convinced that Damian’s dead.”

“Well, that’s one down then,” Reid observed, walking around them. “Water still hot?”

“Oh, yeah,” Lily nodded, watching after him as Reid disappeared into the bathroom and closed the door. She faced Luke again, and Luke tried to focus on his conversation with her rather than straining to listen for the sound of Reid’s boxers hitting the floor.

“Are you sure you’re OK?”

“I’m fine,” Luke replied, smiling weakly. Judging by his mother’s expression, he had failed to convince her.

_Six Hours Earlier_

“I just don’t understand what’s taking so long.”

“I know, Noah. We’re trying to be as quick as possible.”

“Luke! You just said you haven’t even gone to the cops yet.”

Luke sighed inwardly. He held an arm to his stomach, rocking slightly on his feet as he stared out at the backyard.

“That’s true,” he finally said. “But we’re trying to be cautious. We don’t know who is involved in Damian’s scheme.”

“You should never have given him another chance,” Noah said, his voice vaguely reprimanding.

Luke’s mouth dropped open. He didn’t know how to respond – whether he should remind Noah that he himself had encouraged Luke to try again or that he had trouble giving up on his own father too, no matter how many times he hurt Noah or tried to kill Luke. Finally he just said, “No, I probably shouldn’t have.”

“You always do things – ”

“Look, Noah,” Luke interrupted, suddenly not willing to participate in this conversation any longer. “I have to go.”

“Luke, wait!”

“We’ll be home soon.”

Luke hung up quickly, only realizing after the fact that he didn’t even say goodbye, let alone that he loved and missed Noah. He put his hands in his pockets, exhaling slowly. Then he turned around and walked back towards the house, not even noticing Reid watching him from a window, or his mother walking up and standing next to her “boyfriend” with a strangely suspicious look on her face.

**

“What are you looking at?” Lily asked, pretending to be simply curious.

“Hmm?” Reid replied before shaking himself quickly and pulling his eyes away from her son. “Nothing. What’s going on?”

Lily shook her head. “I just wanted to thank you aga – ”

“Please don’t,” Reid interrupted, grimacing.

“You’re not good with gratitude, are you?”

“Pleasantries are a waste of time.”

“I’m not trying to show good manners,” Lily pointed out. “I really am so ver – ”

“I know. But I’m not here because I want to be thanked.”

“Why are you here?”

Reid exhaled uncomfortably, looking away from her. He let his left hand drop down, tapping his fingers against each other. “To keep an innocent man out of prison.”

“That’s it?”

He looked at her again. “What other reason would there be?”

She narrowed her eyes at him. “OK.”

_Four and a Half Hours Earlier_

Luke looked up and down the hall. He was standing just outside of Nico’s office. He had confirmed earlier that Maria and Nico were the only two Grimaldis currently living in Malta, and so he just needed to find out more about his cousin before concluding that Damian was acting alone. His mother had gone to the courthouse to see if the police or judges raised any suspicions before they officially revealed what they knew. Luke was happy this was all almost over.

He reached out for the doorknob, exhaling in relief when it turned easily. If the door had been locked, Luke didn’t know what he would have done. He started to open the door slowly, peeking around the edge and hoping that Nico wasn’t in the room.

“What are you doing?” a voice behind him hissed.

Luke jumped nearly a foot in the air, turning to face Reid angrily even as he lifted his free hand to his pounding heart.

“ _God!_ ”

He grabbed Reid by the arm and pulled him into the office, closing and locking the door behind him.

“Are you trying to get us caught?”

“Me?! You’re the one sneaking around like James Bond!”

“Look,” Luke said, slightly calmer as he put his hand out in placation. He turned away from Reid and began to rifle through the papers on the desk. “Do you want to be here forever? We just need to clear Nico, and then we can go to the police, get Dad and go home.”

Reid stood still for a moment, staring at Luke. “Fine,” he agreed, stepping closer to the desk himself. “What are you looking for?”

Luke shook his head, pointing at a bookcase in the corner. “Start there. Look for anything that suggests Nico either knows where Damian is or that he truly believes he’s dead.”

Reid sighed, walking over to the bookcase. He opened a small drawer on the side first, flipping through the blank stationery inside.

“I can’t believe this is my life,” he muttered.

Luke laughed once in agreement.

After a few moments of silence as they both searched, Reid asked, “What’s it like to be part of a gangster family?”

“I try not to think about it,” Luke replied, his voice tight. “It has nothing to do with me. And they’re not _that_ bad.”

“It has a little bit to do with you,” Reid pointed out, ignoring Luke’s weak defense of his biological family.

Luke shrugged. “Only genetically.”

“And the money in your foundation…”

“Is going towards something good.”

“And you don’t care that it’s blood mon – ”

Luke sighed, looking up. “I care,” he confessed. “But I don’t think the people who benefit from it do. And I’d rather see it tied up in my foundation than back in Grimaldi hands.”

Reid tilted his head. “Fair enough.”

“Besides, I – I thought Damian was different. Or that he had changed.”

Reid looked at him then, and Luke tried to hide his emotions. He cleared his throat and began to search again. Reid inhaled, clearly about to say something just as he bumped a heavy paperweight on the bookshelf. A grinding noise interrupted him, and both Reid and Luke stared as a panel on the bookshelf shifted back, revealing a secret passageway.

“Holy…” Reid said breathlessly.

Before Luke could even respond, another sound grabbed their attention - someone tried to open the door to the office. Thankfully, the lock Luke had thrown earlier worked, which bought them some time. As keys began to jingle outside, Luke ran around the side of the desk and over to Reid. He pushed him into the beginning of the passageway, then fumbled around until he found the release on the other side. The entrance closed, plunging them into darkness just as the outer door to the office opened.

Luke struggled to control his breathing, and it was only after he calmed slightly that he realized he was still holding onto Reid’s arms, and they stood close together, their bodies touching from chest to thigh. Luke could feel Reid’s breath hitting his cheek and the side of his neck, and he turned his head slightly, straining to see Reid's face.


	3. Chapter 3

_Four Hours and Twenty Minutes Earlier_

Reid closed his eyes, not that it made much difference in the dark space. He swallowed, trying to ignore Luke’s proximity, trying not to…react. Despite his best efforts, however, he could feel his heart start to race, his breathing deepen, his cock harden. Reid shifted slightly, pulling back from Luke. In response, Luke let go of his arms and stepped back even farther, and Reid tried not to be disappointed. Reid could sense Luke bump into the wall of their tiny hiding spot, and he held a hand out to stabilize Luke as he tried to catch his balance.

“Sorry,” Luke whispered.

Reid didn’t respond. He was having trouble thinking clearly; all he knew was he wished Luke was still plastered up against him.

And then a voice out in the office distracted him. Reid bent slightly, pressing his ear to the crack of the entrance to the passageway. It was definitely Nico, and it sounded like he was on the office phone. He was speaking rapid Italian or possibly Maltese, and Reid quickly reached into his pocket, pulling out his cell. Pressing the video record feature, he held it up, hoping the receiver would pick up the sound of the conversation.

Moments later, Nico concluded his conversation with a “Ciao, Damian.” Reid heard Luke’s sharply indrawn breath of surprise, and he reached a hand out, groping around until he finally put his palm to Luke’s mouth. Luke pulled his hand away roughly, and Reid could sense his annoyance.

Before Luke could whisper any angry comments at him, the sound of footsteps distracted them again. Reid held his breath, and he felt Luke do the same. Finally, the outer door of the office opened and closed again. Reid waited a few more minutes and, when all he heard was silence, he released his breath and collapsed against the wall.

“Oh my God,” Luke muttered.

_Five Minutes Earlier_

As soon as Lily walked into the room, Reid made his way to her. He hadn’t seen Luke since he had practically run away from Reid after they left the office, and this was the first time he’d seen Lily since she returned from the police station. Reid was feeling pretty desperate to know what was going on.

He stopped a foot in front of her, nodding briskly. She raised her eyebrows expectantly, and it took Reid a moment to realize what she was implying. He snuck a peak at Nico, who was watching them interact. Reid closed the distance, feeling entirely uncomfortable as he leaned in to kiss her cheek in greeting.

Lily refused to let him back away; instead, she reached out for the crook of his elbow, digging her nails slightly into his skin. Tilting her face up, she rubbed her nose against his neck. Reid tried not to tense as he attempted to decide if faking an embrace with Lily was more or less uncomfortably difficult than trying to avoid one with her son. He brought one hand up to her lower back, hoping it looked natural.

“Any news?” she whispered.

Reid exhaled as he tilted his head down closer to her. “Nico definitely knows something. Heard him on the phone earlier, apparently with Damian.”

Lily nodded imperceptibly. “After my talks with them, I’m willing to bet the police aren’t involved. We can bring what we know to them tomorrow. Hopefully, it’s enough to free Holden.”

“If you’re sure,” Reid muttered.

“What are you saying?” Lily asked, and Reid could hear the smirk in her voice. “You want to stay longer?”

Reid laughed, remembering at the last minute to make it flirtatious rather than derisive. He felt Lily’s body shake as she chuckled, and then Reid glanced up. He immediately caught Luke’s eyes, and the laughter died in him as they stared at each other. The expression on Luke’s face was indescribable as he watched Reid with his mother. Reid guessed it was some odd mixture of surprise and…covetousness – or perhaps that’s what he hoped it was, as he felt his own stomach lurch and drop in response.

Luke held his gaze for one more moment before flushing red, turning quickly and leaving the room again. Before he even realized what he was doing, Reid backed away from Lily.

“Will you excuse me?” he asked rhetorically. He followed Luke down the hall without waiting for a response from his supposed girlfriend. He was _done_ dancing around this, pretending there was nothing there.

**

Luke closed the bedroom door behind him and stepped a few feet farther into the room. Exhaling shakily, he ran his sweaty palms down the tops of his thighs and tried to force his body into submission. What was happening with him? This uncontrollable attraction towards Reid was wrong on so many levels – he was probably straight, for one thing. Oh, and Luke _already had a boyfriend_.

Luke groaned, tilting his head back as he ran a hand through his hair. At the sound of someone knocking, he turned quickly towards the door again. Nervously, he walked back to the door and pulled it open. He stared at Reid in confusion for several moments, until Reid simply raised his eyebrows and stepped around Luke into the room.

Luke closed the door and faced Reid. Neither man spoke for a moment and then, to beat Reid in an attempt to maintain some kind of control over the conversation, Luke began talking rapidly.

“I suppose you’re here to tell me you want to go home. It has been 48 hours already, I know. But I talked to my mom earlier, and we agreed that tomorrow we’ll – ”

Reid shook his head. “It’s OK. I’ll stay a little longer. This is almost over anyway.”

“Oh. OK.”

Reid grinned and Luke felt weak in the knees. “Besides…I’m enjoying myself more than I thought I would.”

Suddenly nauseated, Luke turned away. He swallowed a few times. “I can tell.”

Reid stepped closer.

“Well,” Luke continued hurriedly as he looked in Reid’s general direction again but avoided his eyes, “my mom is currently single or will be soon, obviously, so…play your cards right and your enjoyment won’t have to end when we’re back in Oakdale.”

Reid froze. He looked at Luke, tilting his head and raising one eyebrow. Luke exhaled sharply, his emotions jangling wildly through his body. Then Reid smiled, making it even worse.

“That wasn’t what I meant. That’s just acting,” Reid pointed out, adding, “She’s not my type.”

“Too old for you?” Luke asked, his voice wobbling as Reid started to advance on him again.

Reid shook his head lightly. “Age differences don’t bother me.” His tone positively dripped with significance and Luke tried not to examine that too closely. He already was feeling lightheaded from breathlessness. “She’s just not the Walsh-Grimaldi-Snyder I’m interested in,” Reid concluded, slightly hesitant.

Luke’s back hit the wall, much to his surprise. He hadn’t even realized he had been backing up. Reid glanced up and down at Luke’s body as he took one step closer. Luke was pretty sure his heart was going to beat right out of his chest.

“You’re not gay,” Luke denied nonsensically, shaking his head.

Reid gave him a sly smirk, stepping closer again and reaching a hand out. He ran the back of his knuckles down Luke’s chest.

“You’re requiring proof? How would that work exactly?”

Luke desperately wished his body would stop quivering. “If you’re gay, why didn’t you say you were with me? Would have been easier.”

Reid shrugged, looking down at the floor momentarily. “Wasn’t planned or anything. Besides, they obviously were suspicious of your mom. She needed to be…neutralized. You didn’t.”

“That’s it? That’s the only reason?”

“No,” Reid allowed, glancing back up and holding Luke’s gaze.

“Why else?” Luke asked, struggling to interpret Reid’s expression.

Reid paused. “It would have been exhausting trying to resist you,” he confessed. “I’ve been trying to for too long.”

Luke snorted, somewhat unattractively. “Oh, really. And that’s why you banned me from the hospital? Why you can’t even stand to be in the same room as – ”

“Yes, actually,” Reid admitted.

Luke stopped talking abruptly when Reid closed the distance between them completely and leaned his body up against Luke’s. Luke swallowed, finally acknowledging that his erection from earlier had definitely come back. Reid’s own hard cock pressed against his, and Reid looked down for a moment, focusing on the place where their bodies met. Luke closed his eyes as he sighed; this was so much better than when they were hiding earlier. Luke licked his lips and swallowed.

“I think – ” he began, pausing to clear his throat. “I think this is what they mean when they warn stepkids about bad touching.”

Reid’s low chuckle went straight to Luke’s cock and he became even harder. The air shifted as Reid leaned forward and, slightly panicking, Luke ducked to the side, taking several steps away from Reid as he tried to control himself.

“Stop.”

“You don’t want this?” Reid asked, hints of doubt and confusion mixing with the overwhelming level of skepticism in his voice.

“I have a boyfriend.”

“You’re telling me you’re not interested?” Reid pressed, the teasing coming back in at Luke’s non-negative.

Luke exhaled. He turned to look at Reid, meeting his eyes, finally finding some confidence and strength. “I’m telling you I have a boyfriend,” he repeated.

_Twelve Hours Later_

Luke sat on the visitor’s side of the police chief’s desk next to Lily, while Reid leaned against the far wall. Luke had been putting distance between them all day, and Reid was floundering. He was still trying to figure out _how_ he had developed feelings for the man, let alone why he actually acted on them. And then to be rejected on top of that. Reid was not used to failure. At least not in his professional life. He had never really put himself out there in his personal life.

He was beginning to remember why.

To make matters worse, Lily kept looking back and forth between them. She clearly realized something was _off_ with their interactions. Reid just hoped she didn’t ask. He didn’t know how he’d answer, or if he wanted to hear Luke’s explanations.

And then Reid stopped thinking about it. The police chief came into the room, followed by the lead detective on the case. Reid stepped forward, opening the file folder in his hands and preparing to wow them with his medical brilliance.

_Fourteen Hours Later_

Things happened so quickly, Luke wasn’t quite sure how it all had worked out like it had. Between the phone recording of Nico’s conversation, which the police confirmed was with Damian and about the faked murder scheme, and Reid’s authoritatively brilliant ( _and sexy_ ) diagnostic skills, Holden was released from custody. Nico was arrested, Maria was indeed cleared of any suspicion, and they were all back on the plane, heading home.

Luke and Holden sat next to each other, talking quietly. He was trying not to think about the fact that he may never have seen his dad again, if it weren’t for – for the man seated on the opposite end of the cabin, staring out the window. Luke swallowed, focusing on his dad again.

**

Lily, meanwhile, stood and walked away from her family, carefully making her way to Reid. She sat down next to him, ignoring Reid’s look of shock at the intrusion.

“Don’t worry,” she said. “I’m not going to thank you.”

“Well, that’s a relief.”

Reid turned away then, shifting his attention onto opening the bottle of water in his hands.

“I’m just going to ask you how long you’ve been in love with my son.”

Reid fumbled, quickly leaning forward so the water spilled on the floor and not his lap. He turned to glare at Lily.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

She didn’t look at him, instead focusing on Luke across the cabin. “He’s – he’s been with Noah a long time. I don’t know if he’d ever leave him. I don’t know how I’d feel if he did. But…I think – I think if he were ever to try and move onto someone new, I – ” she sighed, ignoring Reid’s stare, which was a mixture of disbelief, annoyance, and something resembling hope. “I wouldn’t mind if it were someone like – if it were you. You’re not as bad as you seem at first.”

Reid looked away, then turned back to her. “I didn’t know he needed your approval on his love life.”

Lily smiled, shaking her head. “I’m just saying. As much as I love Noah, he hasn’t always been good for Luke. They haven’t always been good together. And I think that you would be as good for my son as he would be for you. Try to take a damn compliment.”

“Fine. But this is an entirely moot discussion, you realize.”

Lily sighed. “I wouldn’t be so sure about that,” she murmured.


	4. Chapter 4

_Twenty-Five Hours Later_

They had barely made it ten feet through the Oakdale airport terminal before Lily’s phone – now turned on after the flight – registered a voicemail message. All four of them stopped walking as she punched in the code to listen to it, then turned towards Holden with a shocked expression a few minutes into the recording. And moments later, she hung up the phone, paused, and then revealed to all of them the news.

“Damian was captured in New York. They’re transferring him back here to be processed.”

Holden began to ask her questions, while Lily lifted her phone again to return the call to the police station. But Reid was entirely focused on Luke, who stepped away from the group and stared out the window at the still dark sky. Reid followed him; Luke’s slight flinch when he stepped next to him was the only indication that Luke knew he was there.

“You OK?” Reid asked.

Luke sighed, shrugged. And then he ducked his head forward, pinching at the bridge of his nose to hold back his emotion. “At the beginning of this week – I…I thought he was dead and my dad would go to prison. And now I know he’s alive but he’ll be the one going to prison and – ” Luke’s voice caught in his throat and he shook his head, blinking rapidly. He took a deep breath and exhaled harshly. “I don’t know why I even care. He just continues to hurt me and _hurt_ me and I just – I keep going back for more.”

Reid didn’t say anything for a long moment. Then he observed, “It seems to be a pattern with you.”

Luke turned his head quickly, finally making eye contact with Reid. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

Reid licked his lips as he searched for the right words. “There’s nothing wrong with loving people,” he reminded Luke. “But that doesn’t mean they get to have emotional control over every part of you. You have a right to say when enough’s enough.”

Luke simply stared at him in response.

_Thirty Hours Later_

“Luke!”

Luke offered Alison a smile as he walked into Java. He immediately focused on Noah, who was sitting at the table with her and turning in Luke’s direction. He ended up looking slightly to the left of Luke, as he smiled widely in greeting.

“You’re back!” Noah exclaimed.

Luke felt his heart clench with nostalgic affection.

“I am,” he confirmed.

“Good! I’ve been getting really worried. It’s almost the time Dr. Oliver said we could do the surgery.”

Luke’s smile fell, and he swallowed. He pressed his lips together as he nodded once. “So my dad’s been released,” he said pointedly.

“That’s such a relief,” Alison said.

“Yeah, really great news,” Noah added belatedly.

Luke lifted a hand to scratch at his eye. “Noah, can we talk? Alison, you don’t mind, do you?”

“No, no!” Alison replied, gesturing towards them as she started to stand and leave the table.

Luke quickly shook his head. “Stay! Noah, how about we go for a walk?”

“OK,” Noah agreed. “I have to go to the hospital anyway; I have an appointment with Dr. Oliver.”

Luke smiled tightly. “He’s not wasting any time, huh?”

Noah laughed in agreement, and Luke didn’t say anything else until they were outside and relatively alone. He took a deep breath, looked at Noah and steeled himself.

“Noah, things have been…weird between us.”

Noah nodded. “I know. But you understand, right? I have to be focused on my sight right – ”

“Please, let me finish.”

Noah pivoted in Luke’s direction, apparently startled by the interruption.

“Noah, things have been weird. For a long time, actually, but it’s been really noticeable since your accident – and I _know_ that it’s been really tough for you. But it’s been tough for me too, and…you’re not – you haven’t – ” Luke sighed.

“Luke?”

“I need more from you,” Luke said.

“I don’t understand.”

Luke shook his head. “That wasn’t what I meant. I need more. Period. Since the beginning of our relationship, we’ve always been about your needs and wants, with you coming out and your dad and the whole thing with Ameera and – and everything, right up to now and how _you_ want to deal with your injuries and medical care. And…I just can’t do it anymore.”

Noah stopped walking. “Are you breaking up with me?”

Luke made a slight face. “Is there anything really to break up? We’re barely together. We aren’t together. You moved out, Noah.”

“Temporarily,” Noah argued.

“Well,” Luke said. He paused, then continued on firmly, “I want it to be permanently. I want – I need someone who wants to be with me. All of me, the real me, bumps and warts and stupid mistakes and – and who wants to be a partner with me. You know, share our lives and _be_ there for each other. You can’t be that for me; you never were.”

“I can’t believe you’re saying this to me. I can’t believe you’re doing this _now_ ,” Noah protested. He didn’t sound nearly as upset as part of Luke had hoped he would be.

Luke sighed. “Go to your appointment, Noah. We can talk again soon, if you want to. But this is the way it has to be. I’m sorry.”

Without waiting for a response, Luke turned away. He made it nearly a block before the tears in his eyes pooled over.

_Three Weeks Later_

Reid stretched his arms out as he turned his head from side to side. It had been a long day, but Noah’s surgery was finally behind them. It had gone well – by AMA standards, already a success. And now they just had to wait for him to heal a little so they could check if it worked and he could see again.

He sighed as he sat on the couch, a bottle of cold beer in his hand. He was thankful that Katie and Margo had gone away for the weekend on a sisters’ mini-vacation. The rugrat was with some blonde nurse friend of Katie’s and so Reid had the entire apartment to himself for a few days. He was going to eat, sleep and _not_ think about the looks Luke had been shooting him as he told him the outcomes of the surgery that afternoon. It had been all over town a few weeks ago that Luke and Noah had broken up, but when Luke maintained his distance from Reid, he concluded that just because Luke had realized how bad his relationship had become, it didn’t mean that –

The doorbell rang. Reid turned to glare at it, annoyed at the interruption of his thoughts. But grateful too, because that whole plan to not obsess over Luke? Not working so well. Reid sighed, placing his bottle on the coffee table as he stood. He shuffled over to the door, shouting an acknowledgement when the bell rang a second time.

When Reid opened the door, the resulting surprise nearly floored him. A rather nervous-looking Luke stared back at him, his hands in his pockets as he rocked slightly on his feet.

“Hi,” Luke said.

“Hi,” Reid replied slowly.

They stood there, neither man speaking or moving for several moments. Luke laughed, embarrassed.

“Can I come in?”

Reid raised his eyebrows as he shook his head to bring himself back to the conversation. He stepped aside, letting Luke into the apartment.

“What are you doing here?” he asked.

Luke turned to face him, nervously laughing again as he removed his hands from his pockets and pushed his sleeves up. “Starting off with the hard questions, I see.”

Reid tilted his head, waiting. Luke pressed his lips together and swallowed, and Reid couldn’t tear his eyes away from Luke’s mouth and throat.

“I – um. I wanted to thank you for – ”

And Reid rolled his eyes, turning away and walking back to his beer. “I’m done with the gratitude from your family. I did what you brought me here to do, and now I just want to go home.”

Luke turned quickly, following him to the couch. “You’re leaving?” he asked, surprise and something like fear bleeding into his voice.

Reid held the bottle centimeters from his lips as he stared at Luke. “What were you expecting?”

“I don’t know,” Luke breathed out, slowly sitting down next to Reid. “I…wow, it’s not going to be the same here, without you.”

Reid furrowed his brow quickly. “I’ve only been here a little while,” he reminded Luke.

“It’s felt – longer,” Luke said, almost angrily. “You’ve made an impression, I guess.”

Reid lifted the bottle to his mouth, finishing off the beer. He leaned forward and deposited the empty bottle on the table. “Well…I’m still going home. I have no reason to stay any longer.”

Luke turned to him quickly, staring at him with a borderline hurt expression. He pulled his mouth forward and worked his jaw, even while he shifted uncomfortably on the couch.

“Do I?” Reid asked, kicking himself as he did so.

Luke blinked once. Twice. Then he launched himself at Reid, forcing him to his back as he met him in a kiss. Reid reacted quickly, almost instinctively, drawing one arm up and holding Luke on top of him. He kissed him back with everything he had, sliding his tongue into Luke’s mouth and wrapping it around Luke’s own. Luke made small noises in the back of his throat as he buried one hand in Reid’s hair. He pressed down, thrusting his cock against Reid, and Reid’s other hand dropped to Luke’s ass, forcing him closer.

And then Luke broke the kiss, backing away from Reid and staring at him with wild, scared eyes.

“Wow,” Reid breathed out.

Luke made to sit up, and Reid tightened his embrace around him. Luke dropped his eyes away, trembling as he exhaled and quickly licked his lips.

“What am I doing?” he asked.

“You know what you’re doing; so do I,” Reid informed him.

Luke moved quickly, bending down to kiss him and just as rapidly pulling away again.

“I – I shouldn’t, I – ”

“Don’t freak out,” Reid said, surprised at his own calm attitude and voice, while inside he was losing control almost as much as Luke was.

Luke stared at him again, his breath steadying and his eyes focusing. He swallowed once and shifted his hips again, which prompted Reid to close his eyes at the pleasure. When he opened his eyes, Luke was starting to smile.

**

Luke didn’t really know what had come over him. This was so not like him, at all. He wasn’t the kind of guy to just _jump_ someone else and –

Except, yeah, he realized. He kind of was. Because he loved this. He loved the way Reid held him tightly, and how Reid’s body felt against and beneath his. He loved how Reid had stalked closer and closer to him, seducing him back in his room in Malta. He loved how much Reid wanted him, and how much he wanted Reid. He loved arguing with Reid, and teasing him, and seeing glimpses of the human underneath the armor of sarcasm and cynicism. He loved how Reid cared enough to cross an ocean to help him even as he pretended he didn’t care at all, and how he thought enough of Luke to tell him hard truths and ask why he didn’t demand more from his life and the people who were supposed to be there for him.

And, Luke remembered as he leaned forward to suck Reid’s lower lip back into his mouth, as he reached his hands around to begin to unbutton Reid’s shirt, he hadn’t wanted to wait with Noah. He wasn’t the kind of guy who didn’t need this in a relationship. He had wanted this, all of this, the touching and the passion and the kissing and the naked skin, the pain and the pleasure, the push and the pull. He was nearly overwhelmed with how much he wanted this, how much he wanted to be the kind of guy who went for it, who was confident enough to do what felt good. And if it ended up not being as perfectly happily ever after as he hoped it would be, he wanted to be the kind of guy who was strong enough to deal with that.

But he kind of had the feeling – when they accidentally rolled off the couch and landed on the ground, when Luke _oomphed_ and Reid laughingly asked if he was OK and Luke just pulled him back into the kiss with one hand and reached his other hand into Reid’s unbuckled pants and felt his thick, full cock in his palm – he wouldn’t have to _deal with_ anything.

He had the feeling he was about to have everything he always wanted.


End file.
